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Sakura Reflex Prano and Idea Reflex
The Sakura Reflex Prano (さくらレフレックスプラノ) The name "Prano" is sometimes written "Plano" by mistake. The two spellings would be pronounced the same in Japanese, but "Prano" is confirmed by a marking on the Sakura Pocket Prano and by an advertisement reproduced in this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha. was the first Japanese SLR, made from 1907 by Rokuoh-sha, the manufacturing branch of Konishi (predecessor of Konica), and by various subcontractors. It was renamed Idea Reflex (アイデアレフレックス) in 1910, and was replaced by a different Idea Reflex model in 1911. Origin Some people question the origin of the Sakura Reflex Prano and suggest that it was actually a rebadged imported camera. Lewis, p.20: the Sakura Reflex Prano "so closely resembled the Western originals there is some question whether they were really Japanese copies, or whether they were imported cameras sold under the Sakura name". The same doubts are expressed about the Sakura Honor, Sakura Palace and Midg. However one advertisement for the Sakura Reflex Prano apparently says that it was "made by Konishi Honten in Tokyo, Nihonbashi", and the December 1911 catalogue by the company says that the Idea Reflex was the result of many years of effort by the company. Advertisement reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of no.10: 東京日本橋小西本店製 (hardly legible), and reprint of the December 1911 catalogue of Konishi Honten, p.14: 本店が多年の苦心によりて成れる. The Sakura Reflex Prano and Idea Reflex (1910) The only picture of the Sakura Reflex Prano observed so far is a drawing taken from an original catalogue. Illustration reproduced in Sakai, p.18 of no.10, in this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology, and in this page of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website. It shows an exact copy of the Rochester Premo Reflecting Camera (the name "Prano" itself was undoubtedly crafted after "Premo"). The body is made of wood and has the shape of a box. There is a folding bed at the front; the lens standard is mounted on bellows and slides out of the main box. There is a large viewing hood at the top, further lengthened by trellis struts. A lever is visible on the right-hand side of the body, perhaps used to raise the mirror and trip the shutter. The camera has a focal plane shutter, and one advertisement mentions 1/75 to 1/1200 speeds. Advertisement reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of no.10. Other speed ranges are reported, with 1/1000 top speed. Sakai, p.18 of no.10, and this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology. The cameras were certainly hand-made one at a time, and these small variations are not surprising. The Sakura Reflex Prano was reportedly released in April 1907. Chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of no.10. The date is simply given as 1907 in Sakai, p.18 of no.10, in this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology, and in the chronology at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha. Most sources say that it was only available in -size (8×12cm), but at least one source mentions -size (8×10.5cm) instead, perhaps by mistake. Nimaigake: Sakai, p.18 of no.10, Lewis, p.19, and this page of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website. (Many sources say that corresponds to 4×5in, but the actual measurements given in this page at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha do not confirm this.) Tefuda: chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of no.10. It was offered with various lenses from Carl Zeiss or Goerz. Lists are given in Sakai, p.18 of no.10, and in this page of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website. They disagree on the focal length, the former saying 12.8cm, 15cm and 15.5cm, and the latter saying 21cm. It was also available without a lens, reportedly for ¥135. Sakai, p.18 of no.10. The camera was renamed Idea Reflex in 1910, and some sources specify September. Kikuoka, p.28 of no.10, and chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of no.10. The date is simply given as 1910 in the chronology at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha. It seems that the catalogue entry for this model was illustrated with the exact same drawing as for the Sakura Reflex Prano. Compare the drawings reproduced in Sakai, p.18 of no.10, and in Kikuoka, p.28 of the same magazine. It is said that (8×10.5cm) and (12×16.5cm) models were introduced, and top speed is reported as 1/1200. Kikuoka, p.28 of no.10, mentions 1/1200 top speed and and formats, but does not mention . The chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of no.10, says that the camera was made in and formats. The Idea Reflex (1911) The Idea Reflex was heavily modified in 1911. The date is given as January 1911 in Kikuoka, p.28 of no.10, and as August 1911 in the chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of no.10. It is simply given as 1911 in the chronology at R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha. The new model is mainly known from an entry in the December 1911 catalogue of Konishi Honten, Reprint of the December 1911 catalogue of Konishi Honten, p.14. The page is also reproduced in this page of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website. where it is called "Idea" Reflex Hand Camera (アイデヤ、レフレックス手提暗函). Two versions are listed: the Idea Reflex No.1 (壹號) in size (8×10.5cm) and the Idea Reflex No.2 (貳號), in (8×12cm) and (12×16.5cm) size. The chronology from the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, reproduced in Tanaka, p.94 of no.10, only mentions -size but this is an omission. The text says that No.2 has a revolving back, which is implicitly absent from No.1. The pictures show box-shaped SLR cameras with bellows and a large viewing hood. It seems that No.1 has no folding bed but large rack-and-pinion struts driven by a wheel on the photographer's right. No.2 has a folding bed and a front standard sliding on rails with a smaller rack-and-pinion device. Various shutter controls are visible on the right-hand side plate, including a winding key at the top. The picture of No.1 shows more controls on the right, and a table of shutter speeds. The picture of No.2 shows a leather handle on the right, less controls and no shutter speed table. The cameras were available with or without a lens. The listed lenses are featured in further pages of the same catalogue, showing the Carl Zeiss lenses imported by Konishi. Reprint of the December 1911 catalogue of Konishi Honten, pp.39–40. The prices are summarized in the following table. Notes Bibliography * Kikuoka Sei (菊岡清). "Konica history 3. Meiji 41-nen – Taishō 12-nen." (Konica history 3. 明治41年–大正12年. From Meiji year 41 (1908) to Taishō year 12 (1923).) Pp.24–32. * Konishi Honten. Saishin Shashin Kikai Mokuroku (最新写真器械目録, Latest catalogue of photographic apparatus). Published on December 18, 1911. Recent reprint. * Pp.19–20. * Sakai Shūichi (酒井修一). "Konica history 2. Meiji 36-nen – 40-nen." (Konica history 2. 明治36年–40年. From Meiji year 36 (1903) to Meiji year 40 (1907).). Pp.16–23. * Tanaka Yoshirō (田中芳郎). "Meiji–Taishō jidai no Konishi Honten no kamera wo shiru tame no hon" (明治・大正時代の小西本店のカメラを知るための本, Books about the Konishi Honten cameras of the Meiji and Taishō eras). Pp.92–4. Links In Japanese: * Sakura Reflex Prano in the Camera database of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology * Pages of the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website: ** Sakura Reflex Prano ** Catalogue entry for the Idea Reflex (1911) and larger picture ** Sakura Reflex Prano and Idea Reflex (1911) in the camera list Category: Japanese 8x10.5 SLR Category: Japanese 8x12 Category: Japanese 12x16.5 Category: Japanese SLR Category: Konica Category: S Idea Reflex Category: 1906-1910